In spite of this new regulation, snakes continued to pour into the hospital, and several were repeatedly brought to us at the same time; in October and November, 1902, the figure 9 appears three times in our statistics.
The combined results of the snake-harvest at our five settlements, from August 1, 1901, to February 23, 1903, are shown in the following table:—
| Number of cobras | Sum expended | Quantity of venom collected | Averagen weight of dry venom per cobra | Average price of the cobra | Average price of 1 gramme of venom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 653 | R. 446 | 242 | 0·37 | R. 0.68 | R. 1.84 |
| grammes | grammes | (1.13 fr.) | (3.07 fr.) |
On an average, therefore, nearly three cobras are necessary to furnish 1 gramme of dry venom, since freshly collected venom weighs more, owing to the proportion of water contained in it, which is greater than half the total weight. Thus the quantity of fresh venom extracted from an average cobra may be estimated at about 80 centigrammes. It may be added that the product of the glands differs considerably in appearance, according as it is derived from a dead or living snake. In the former case it takes the form of extremely small, glistening lamellæ, of a golden-yellow colour, similar in appearance, when in bulk, to iodoform. Venom extracted from the living snake, on the other hand, is of an amber-brown colour, and forms much larger lamellæ, which are translucent and slightly elongate, resembling particles of gum arabic. When the product is impure and mixed with a small quantity of blood, it has a dull appearance, and is of a dark, dirty brown, almost black colour.
At the Pondicherry Hospital venom is collected in the following manner;[168] The snake is brought by the snake-charmer in a chatty, a kind of earthern pot, covered with a rag, or half a calabash. Ensconced at the bottom of this receptacle, the reptile has a difficulty in making up its mind to emerge, which it does only after having been stirred up several times. Once it is outside the charmer forces the cobra to uncoil, and, while the animal is moving slowly along, fastens it to the ground by placing the end of a bamboo on its neck, quite close to the head. The Indian then cautiously seizes the head of the cobra with his forefinger and thumb, and, with a rapid movement, throws it into a jar prepared for the purpose, containing a few tampons of absorbent wool impregnated with chloroform. As soon as the snake is inside, an assistant quickly slips a metal plate over the opening of the jar and presses his hand firmly down upon it. In a few minutes the animal is dead; it is then taken out of the jar and its mouth is swabbed out; next, the fangs having been raised by means of a probe, a saucer is placed between the jaws, and, by pressure exerted upon the poison-glands laterally and from behind forwards, the venom is made to spurt out. The fresh product obtained in this way is of a very pale yellow colour, and viscid. It is protected from the air and light until completely desiccated; then, when it is in sufficient quantity and distributed in flakes round the sides of the saucer, like the colours on a palette, it is cautiously detached with a spatula, taking care to protect the eyes against risk from flying particles of venom. After being placed in well-corked bottles, the product is despatched to France.
In spite of the precautions observed in the course of these proceedings, and although the venom has not been extracted until after the death of the animal, some regrettable accidents have taken place, as we shall show further on.
Cases of bites from poisonous snakes appear but seldom in the statistics of our settlements in India, and, contrary to what is the case in the neighbouring English possessions, hardly any deaths are officially recognised in the annual returns as being due to this cause. It is true that the death statistics are very badly authenticated, and that the natives frequently conceal the real cause of death.
We have been informed by Dr. Cordier, Surgeon-Major of the Sepoy Corps, that, during a previous tour of duty in Bengal, he had successfully treated two cases of cobra-bite with Calmette’s serum.
At the end of 1901 the following note was forwarded to us by Dr. Paramananda Mariadassou, Physician to the Karikal Hospital:—
“Case I.—In the month of November, 1901, a woman of robust habit was brought about midnight to the Karikal Hospital, in a semi-comatose condition. Her husband stated that an hour before, while lying on a mat stretched on the ground, she felt herself bitten in the shoulder when in the act of placing her head on the pillow. With a start of surprise she half rose and then lay down again. It was only on being bitten for the third time that she made up her mind to seek for the cause; passing her hand beneath the pillow in the darkness she touched the body of a snake and cried out. Directly afterwards she pointed out to her husband, who had at once hastened to her, the snake coiled up against the wall; the man killed the reptile and burnt it on the spot. According to him the snake was about a metre in length, and as thick as all five fingers put together. The woman had barely time to tell her husband what had happened, for she speedily became unconscious, and was in this condition when brought to the hospital.